Cochin is a fast developing commercial and tourist destination. But the city has its own problems – traffic jams, garbage strewn over the place, open drains, potholes, narrow roads and so on. What is it that can be done to make it a much better place to live? This is exactly what CPPR wishes to find out under Reinventing Cochin project….the part played by the state and civil society

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The fakeness (stupidity?) of the Vyttila junction traffic arrangement

By D Dhanuraj*

In the last few weeks, experiments with the Vyttila junction traffic arrangement have grown to the level of utter chaos and stupidity. It is no surprise as the busiest junction in Kerala never received the attention it deserves. Often, it tends to fall in prey for the ad-hoc arrangements suggested by non- experts reflecting the total failure of the administrative system. With the experiments continue, the citizens have a tough time crossing the Vyttila junction.

I am not sure how these latest changes have been arrived at. Media reports that a sitting judge has a say in the most recent changes. It exposes the lack of robust mechanisms and capacity build up for a major element like public transport in a city like Kochi. How come a judge or a police officer could usurp the role of a public transport expert? How do they arrive at the decision and what data they have to conclude? Did they conduct any simulation exercises before they implemented their decision? As far as I know about the city traffic and transport management system, it lacks the authentic data and updated information till recently. Even the biggest investments in Kochi’s public transport sector lacked the updated information on the commuters’ volume and their whereabouts. Again, it is not surprising as there too many cooks to spoil the party.

I would not have been alive to write this blog if I didn’t have that miraculous escape at the U-Turn (on the way from Elamkulam to Tripunithura) on the other day. The issue at the U-Turn on the northern side of Vyttila is that it conjoins S A Road, Palarivattom – Thammanam road and Subhash Chandra Bose Road. U-turn, in fact, cramps the line traffic. On the southern side, U-Turn is ahead of the junction that gives enough lead time for the traffic from Tripunithura to ease down. But there again, the lack of turning radius and curvature stops the vehicles from Aroor side abruptly that adds chaos to the whole lane traffic from there onwards heading Palarivattom. Now the situation is grimmer with the vehicles are caught up in the traffic jam starting from Thycoodam underpass onwards. Assess the oil burnt out in the vehicles joining from the different routes compared to the one-way traffic in the earlier version. Who cares and who is benefited?

The other impact of the traffic jam at the Vyttila junction are the implications it has on the other roads connecting Vyttila. Held up in a traffic jam at Vyttila, both private and public vehicles tend to increase their speed once they emerge out of the Kochi city to compensate the time they have already in the traffic jam. It leads to increase in the accidents and casualties in the other outskirts of Kochi. It is common practice in this part of the world to alter the traffic management arrangements every time when a new police officer or a district collector assumes office in the city. They fail to understand that even altering or shifting busy traffic from one end of the road to another end will have socio-economic impacts. Fake arrangements will not stand the test of the times and more importantly will make the commuters unsafe on the roads.

*D Dhanuraj is Chairman of CPPR. Views expressed by the authors are personal and does not represent that of CPPR